Rensberger has been
a science writer or science editor for more than 32 years, beginning in
1966 at The Deroit Free Press. From there he went to The New
York Times from 1971 through 1979. He left The Times to freelance
and to become head writer of a PBS science series for children, "3-2-1-
Contact!" In 1981, he became senior editor of Science 81-Science 84 magazine,
a popular monthly published by the American Association for the Advancement
of Science. At the end of 1984 Rensberger went to The Washington Post,
where he served as science writer and science editor. At The Post,
he created the paper's acclaimed monthly supplement, "Horizon: The Learning
Section." He became Director of the Knight Fellowship at MIT in June 1998.
Full Biography

Books:

Life Itself:
Exploring the Realm of the Living Cell, 1997 "A wonderfully readable
digest of everything currently known about the mechanisms by which living
cells perform their myriad tasks" --NY Times This book explains
to general readers the cutting edge of research in molecular, cellular,
and developmental biology. He explores such questions as how cells and
their components move and heal wounds, what cancer is, why cells die.
Readers discover that--contrary to what we may have concluded from pictures
in our high school textbooks--cells teem with activity and that, inside,
they 'are more crowded with components than the inside of a computer.'
Rensberger also provides an illuminating discussion of AIDS--revealing
exactly why this virus is so difficult to defeat--and of cancer, explaining
that before cancer can start, a whole series of rare events must occur,
events so unlikely that it seems a wonder that anyone gets cancer at
all.Book
Review & purchase at Amazon.com!

Instant Biology:
From Single Cells to Human Beings, and Beyond,
1996 Whether you're bewildered by the vast number of organisms inhabiting
our planet or just crave a clear and comprehensive explanation of the
endoplasmic reticulum, Instant Biology will guide you through
the science that brings the very act of living (and dying) to life.
From an enlightening walk down the double helix stairway to a look at
Darwin's evolutionary musings on the diversity of existence, Instant
Biology lays bare the facts of life. But Boyce Rensberger goes beyond
the birds and the bees to delight in the details that make science fun,
like the stubborn micro-species of mite that insist on living in your
eyelashes. From a look at Darwin's evolutionary musings on the diversity
of existence to an enlightening walk down the double helix stairway,
this guide delivers the science that brings the very act of living (and
dying) to life. Book
Review & purchase at Amazon.com!

The Cult of
the Wild,
1986

How the World
Works: A Guide to Science's Greatest Discoveries,
1977

Related
Articles:

David Gergen, editor
at large of U.S. News & World Report, engages Boyce Rensberger, science
writer for the Washington Post, author of Life Itself: Exploring the
Realm of the Living Cell (April 25, 1997). PBS Online NewsHour Forum,
April 25, 1997Check
it out!

A look at the
world of the cell with Boyce Rensberger:
As scientists gain greater understanding of DNA, the genetic code and
cellular machinery, society is learning new facts about human intelligence,
disease and development. Ideas of sexuality and race are being redefined,
and cellular research has even made the question of when human life
begins more complex. Science has been forced into the ethical quagmire
surrounding the abortion debate, and some believe answers to some of
society's most fundamental questions rests in this microscopic world
(May 16, 1997). PBS Online NewsHourForum, May 16, 1997Check
it out!

"How Science
Responds When Creationists Criticize Evolution"Boyce
Rensberger, Staff Writer Washington Post, January 8, 1997 Maybe you've encountered them,
the perfectly nice people who stop you with a statement like, "Well,
you know, evolution is just a theory, and it's very controversial, even
among scientists." Or maybe they say, "There's no way a bunch of gears
and springs in a junk pile could suddenly fall together by accident
and become a working watch. The existence of a watch tells you there
had to be an intelligent watchmaker." Sometimes, they'll stump you by
asserting that, on his deathbed, Charles Darwin renounced his theory
of evolution. Usually the people who say these things mean well. But
the statements are based on a faulty understanding of biology. Unfortunately,
many of us challenged by those who call themselves creationists are
not well prepared to respond. Check
it out!